The Fallen Vampire

Flying through the air like this without a care in the world was truly one of the most freeing and relaxing things that she had ever done.

It was made so much more meaningful by the fact that nothing was required of her to be this happy.

Just by simply being, she was allowed to experience this.

It made her feel as though the more time she spent with him, the less she felt capable of understanding him.

"Taira, may I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Are you not fearful of the heroes at all..? Not worried about what it may mean to face them all together in battle?"

Despite being asked such a tense question, Taira gave a relatively unassuming and easygoing answer.

"It certainly should worry me at least a bit, shouldn\'t it? I certainly have so much to lose and a few additional individuals that I want to keep safe, but things like going into battle do not make me afraid.

It would be the same if I asked you whether or not you feared taking a bath or brushing your teeth in the morning. They are simply things that must be done, and the concept of fear is not one that is applicable here."

Finding something interesting among the bit of information she had heard and decided to just push a little deeper.

"Then…. What does scare you?"

Taira suddenly stopped flying in mid air and fell uncomfortably silent.

Feeling like she\'d made a mistake, Inadu opened her mouth to apologize when Taira suddenly gave her an unexpected answer.

"Last night… Aveena said something to me that I haven\'t been able to shake from my mind all day long. I\'ve only just realized that this is because the idea terrified me so."

"And… what might that be?"

"…She said… that she believed I would be a wonderful father."

Completely taken aback, Inadu turned her head to the side as she stared at her companion like she had misheard him.

"I do not understand..? What is wrong with what she said?"

In an instant, Taira had transformed back to normal and held Inadu in the air by her waist.

Normally she would have been afraid since they were so high up, but for some reason she felt even more secure than when she was on the ground.

"Don\'t tell me.. you think her words to be correct too?" He asked.

"I would not dare to say that I know you as well as she does, but based on what I have seen so far… I would agree with her assessment of you, yes."

"Then I have tricked you somehow too."

Taira shifted Inadu onto his back and resumed their relaxing flight home.

With her arms wrapped around his neck, Inadu smiled softly as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"What are you so afraid of?"

"… My parents were not good people, and they raised me in their image. From the second I could walk, my skin was peeled and my bones were broken so that I could get used to pain without so much as flinching.

I was given swords instead of toys, studied strategy for war instead of learning to read children\'s stories. But I never cared, since I had my mother\'s affection and my father\'s respect.

And when it was discovered that I was inept.. that all changed. I became nothing, I lived through the centuries as a shell who tried to kill himself more times than I can count."

"Taira…"

"I did not know how to be… normal. Since I was discarded after twenty years of hard work, I was effectively only a broken doll who had a wasted childhood.

I never learned what it meant to be a child, or what it felt like to be innocent. From the moment that I was cognizant, I was only filled with venom. That poison… it is all that I would ever pass onto my child if I were to ever have one."

Inadu bit her lip so hard that it nearly bled.

She obviously understood how Taira felt, as she didn\'t exactly get a peachy childhood either.

But in her heart of hearts, she felt like she was being far too hard on himself for things that may not have been related.

However, how was she supposed to articulate that?

She was no good with words, and more often than not she felt as if she were better off not saying anything at all.

But she had become too fond of Taira to not try to offer him any words of comfort at the very least.

"I.. don\'t believe that. Your parents did not teach you how to love unconditionally, but I have personally seen you do so with all of your wives on numerous occasions.

It is true that the way that we grow up plays an enormous role in our outlook on life as we move forward, but it doesn\'t mean that we are bound by those things.

You of all people should know that we can grow however we want, become whoever we need to be. Our only limit to this is our desire to take that first scary step on the path to change."

Though she didn\'t understand why she did it, Inadu decided to place a hand on Taira\'s head and ruffled his ears ever so slightly.

Because he wasn\'t expecting it, he nearly dropped her out of the air and his own cheeks warmed beyond a healthy limit.

"W-What are you doing..?"

"I have always wanted to do this, yet I was never quite bold enough to take the plunge before… does it feel unpleasant?"

"Not necessarily, no.."

"Good."

Inadu continued to fondle Taira\'s ears and hair, making it somewhat difficult for him to take in her earlier words of wisdom.

"There is… another problem you know?"

"Hm?"

"Fifty years ago I did something to my body… I am not even sure if I can have children anymore, since in all of the time that the girls and I have been together we have never had so much as a single scare."

"I could see why that would be a cause for concern… but you all could always adopt if you saw fit. Sometimes, blood is not what makes a family. It is the love and care shared between."

As their home slowly began to show up in the distance, Taira felt his pulse quicken just a bit as he realized that he would need to have a conversation that he had been running from for a long time.

"Thank you, Inadu. You have given me a lot to think about today."

"Really? I am glad… since I have helped you, do you think that you might finally tell me what you were going to say about me earlier? You have kept me waiting for too long already."

"Have I…? Alright then."

Taira landed right atop the icy mountain slope and brought his lips dangerously close to Inadu\'s left ear.

Whatever words were spoken between them as the sun set were there\'s alone to be beholden to, and even the gods were not worthy enough to listen.

But even though no one else around knew exactly what Taira was saying, the beautiful smile his words put on Inadu\'s face was enough to convey the general idea loud and clear.